When Bills proposing changes to Alston’s regime were introduced a fortnight ago, Senators were told ‘Conversion to digital is the most fundamental change in broadcasting since the introduction of television itself 50 years ago’. So is this medium dead or alive? Clearly very much alive, if you count the roughly three hours a day the average Australian spends watching it. But if you look at the take-up of Alston’s new kind of TV, you might think George Gilder was closer to the mark. In March, five years after its introduction, less than one in five Australian households had bought a set-top box to receive free-to-air digital TV, although there are many models now available for under $200. [Introduction]